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Liverpool FC## Florian Wirtz will be hoping for a much improved second season at Liverpool, and Andoni Iraola has seeked to clarify what he thinks his best position in his team is
22:43, 30 Jul 2026
KIRKBY, ENGLAND - MAY 23: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Florian Wirtz, Alexis Mac Allister, Mohamed Salah and Milos Kerkez of Liverpool during a training session at AXA Training Centre on May 23, 2026 in Kirkby, England. (Photo by Nikki Dyer - LFC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Florian Wirtz will be hoping for a better second season at Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)
Andoni Iraola has revealed he intends to play Florian Wirtz as a No.10 next season, with new Liverpool boss determined to get the best out of the club’s marquee signing from last summer.
Wirtz has been working with Iraola for the first time this week, having reported for pre-season training with the Reds in the US following his involvement in the World Cup with Germany.
The 23-year-old did not feature in Wednesday’s win over Championship side Wrexham, but Iraola has indicated he will play a part in the final game against Leeds in Chicago on Sunday before Liverpool heads back to Merseyside.
There will be plenty of eyes on Wirtz after what has been a difficult first year for him following his record-breaking move from Bayer Leverkusen.
The forward struggled to replicate the sort of form that saw him take the Bundesliga by storm, scoring seven goals and adding nine assists in 49 appearances in total for the Reds. The World Cup didn’t offer him much respite either, with Germany suffering an early exit at the hands of Paraguay in the last-32.
His efforts weren’t helped by having to regularly change positions while playing for Liverpool, with former boss Arne Slot having seemingly been unable to settle on his best position, having played him centrally and off the left.
BRONX, NY - JULY 29: Andoni Iraola head coach of Liverpool FC during the game against Wrexham AFC on July 29, 2026 at Yankee Stadium in the Borough of the Bronx, New York. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Andoni Iraola has settled on Florian Wirtz's position for Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)
Iraola though is aiming to end the debate. Speaking during a press conference in Chicago on Thursday, the new Liverpool boss told reporters about Wirtz’s potential influence on his side: “Obviously, [it's] all the players, honestly, but with Flo, especially, I think we need a very good version of Florian.
“We know what he can give us. I think he's also suited to our game model. I see him more probably in that position behind the striker. We know that he has played with Germany more on the left sometimes.
“But I think we're going to start working with him in that position behind the striker. He's quite complete as a player.
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“I think we are going to try to add more things to what he already has that is very good and I've seen him [in the] first days of training in a good place mentally and I hope he starts well and strong.”
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Liverpool.com says: Having some clarity on his position will surely help Wirtz next season. It can’t have been easy to settle into such a demanding league when he was so often being switched into different roles.
It will be interesting to see how that will work, and whether Liverpool will need to bring someone else in make that midfield a little more defensively sound. If Wirtz and Dominik Szoboszlai are going to hold down regular spots, you fancy the third midfielder might have to help out his back four a fair bit.
Liverpool FC
Florian Wirtz
Andoni Iraola